Wrath of Ares
by Wolfkins
Summary: The god of war finds a child abandoned by her parents & takes pity. He leaves her with a family to be raised & protected but when sixteen years later he gets wind of an attempt on her life he steps in to protect her once again, though his identity is hidden as a mortal. Will he be able to stave off the feelings he develops for Nova & save her or fail for the first time ever? R&R
1. Chapter 1

The noise was angering Ares. He'd come to his temple for peace, quiet and rest, which involved quiet. He stepped out into the early morning scowling, the stone steps refreshingly cold beneath his bare feet. His body was weakened from the battle of Delphi though, as usual, he had been unharmed. From outside the noise sounded almost like a battle cry, a constant wailing which began to pique his interest. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Ares followed the sound down the temple steps and into the courtyard. From there it was much louder and his keen ears recognized it as crying. Then off to the left he saw it, or rather her, and in little hurry stalked over.

There, lying at the foot of his larger than life statue was a little baby girl, naked, pale and barely moving. If it weren't for the strong wailing he would have thought her not long for the world.

Ares didn't much care for children, they were weak, noisy and an all around nuisance, but there was something about this little bundle. With more gentleness than one would attribute to such a large volatile man, he scooped the infant into his arms and carried her back into the temple.

"Harmon!" he shouted for his priest, deep voice echoing across the void of his cavernous temple. "Harmon!"

Several frustrating moments later Harmon came running across the altar, hoisting up his white robes so as not to trip. He was an old man, somewhat senile, but a once accomplished warrior and still quite strong. His warrior status was the only reason Ares still kept the captain turned priest around.

"Yes my lord?" he came to a skidding halt before the god and bowed hastily.

Harmon tried to keep his eyes on his lordship, knowing that he valued the utmost focus, however his attention was arrested by the babe in his arms. It twas honestly the very last thing he'd expected to see.

"Find the proper gear to feed this child at once." he almost smiled down at her, as much smile as he could manage, the child having quieted in the warmth of his embrace. "Then find a suitable noble home to raise her."

There was something about the child, an inner strength, that called to Ares. Clearly if the newborn, so tiny and wrinkled, could survive the elements she could grow to be a strong warrior.

"I'll call you Nova, little one." the little girl gurgled in response and Ares managed a legitimate smile. "And when you're settled I feel like a hunt is in order, my vultures are hungry."

* * *

Nova opened the door of the carriage and peeked out to see if Gerold was anywhere about. She was along only because she'd pled mercilessly until the captain had finally given in, with the assurance that she was along only for the ride while the men pitched fliers. But the streets were filled to bursting with interesting people, a plethora of stands and smells that were too enticing to ignore. When she was positive Gerold wasn't about, Nova pulled up the hood of her cloak, jumped from the carriage and immediately wove herself into the crowd. She wasn't oft permitted to leave the manor and when she was it was only under strict supervision, which meant no wandering.

Nova roamed the streets aimlessly for a time, stopping at this table to look at an exotic cat or that table for fabric of the finest sort. It was a sunny afternoon, with a light breeze carrying the scents of expensive perfumes and the happy cries of children. Twas the yelling and cheering that truly caught her attention though. Curiosity getting the better of her, Nova followed the sounds down the main thoroughfare and down several blocks where it led her to a dim, questionable alleyway. She ducked and dodged her way through the crowd where it seemed the sun had second thoughts of going.

Milling around in the alley were dozens of men, with a small smattering of women and children. To Nova's sincere delight she had stumbled upon the beginning of a small archery contest, nothing fancy, just a handful of contestants. Still, no matter the elaborateness or lack thereof, she loved the game. It was one of the few sportsman type activities she was allowed to partake in. Hunting, spearing or swordplay had been deemed completely out of the question.

There was a single file line of men waiting to shoot and one lone woman and much coin changing hands. Without her bow and for fear of calling too much attention to herself Nova didn't insert herself into the line as she longed to. Instead she leaned against the brick and mortar wall to observe

The first up was a short, rotund man with a large coin purse and a larger mouth. He wore the fine clothes of a nobleman, but housed the mouth of a street urchin. He talked himself up a great deal but it was plain to see by the perspiration under his arms that he was nervous as he handed over a few coin to small, spindly looking boy to hold his velvet cloak. When he turned towards the target the boy draped the much too large cloak over his body and danced for the crowd, giving Nova a hearty laugh. The man toed the line with all the elaborateness of a professional but only just hit the target on the outer rim. He cursed and forked over a good amount of coin, receiving only laughs for his troubles. He spun quickly only to find the boy still dancing and growled angrily, he snatched his cloak back and aimed a kick at the comedian but missed.

The second contestant appeared to be of noble blood, judging by the high quality of his garb and the way he held his nose up at everyone. Though he was handsome enough Nova pretended not to see his wink as he toed the line. He looked to be the same as every other pretentious nobleman she avoided the courtship of. He was a fair margin better than the first, his green feathered arrow landing near the bulls eye at least. Though he received a hearty cheer from the crowd he still shook his head with disappointment. Finished, he sneered at the gent behind him, nearly trampling the female archer in the process and made his way over to lean beside Nova.

"Good day my lady." he greeted and kissed her hand.

The fact that he was chivalrous only to those who he assumed to be of noble blood irked her.

"Good day." she replied blandly, bowing her head slightly as he attempted to peer under her hood.

He would most assuredly recognize her and make a fuss as most people did, making it difficult to enjoy a normal day. Not that she knew what a normal day truly felt like. The next contestant, a tall, well built man, turned to peer over his shoulder in their direction. He froze for a moment before the lady archer gave him a good shove to get on with it. He was ruggedly handsome, sporting black hair down to his shoulders and if it were clean he would have looked nicer, Nova thought. He had a stubborn set jaw and a scar that zig-zagged like lightning from his cheek bone to his ear.

"A regular ruffian, that one." her companion scoffed in a haughty voice, eyebrow quirked.

Nova shrugged but said naught as she watched the archer ready himself. There was no use arguing with the man, it would take much more effort than he was worth. The contestant didn't spout off or make grand claims of his prowess. He simply put his toe to the line, took aim, pulling the string back with his perfectly sculpted arm and landed a perfect, effortless bulls eye. The crowd cheered and clapped enthusiastically, Nova included. Her companion watched the others clap but didn't join in, looking rather sour.

"Found a way to cheat, I'd bet." he groused, which she dutifully ignored.

When the archer turned from retrieving his arrow he paused and stared vacantly at her. After a moment recognition seemed to pass over his features, though Nova knew him not he must have recognized her. Then his eyes narrowed as if she were a suspicious looking character..._her_! Immediately he bee lined for Nova ignoring more cheers and pats on the back, his face grim and if she wasn't mistaken looking a little peeved, though she couldn't imagine why. She felt a nervous twinge in the pit of her stomach as he closed in on them, thinking perhaps she'd had made a grave error striking out on her own. Why had she left Gerold behind? Nova didn't even have a weapon on her person. He halted mayhap a foot in front of her and strung his bow over his shoulder. Her previously mouthy companion looked on but was struck dumb.

"Have you never seen a woman before?" Nova asked caustically, irritated with the audacious manner in which he was staring at her.

The archer frowned and grabbed hold of her arm pulling her off the wall. She protested loudly but he spoke over her and tugged roughly when she resisted. Her admirer was suddenly nowhere to be found and though Nova cursed him vilely no one seemed particularly fond of stepping up to help her.

"The city is no place for a lady, especially a bloody alleyway!" he admonished, pushing her now towards the thoroughfare. "_He _would be quite upset you know." her accoster growled and spanked her arse.

"You son of a…" Nova spun on the ruffian, ready to wallop him when she heard Gerold calling. She looked quickly over her shoulder and before she could do anything else the archer spanked her a second time and vanished into the crowd.

"Nova!" he called again.

Seething, she made my way to his side, hands curled into fists.

"My lady." he said plaintively with a tired look she knew well. Nova was endlessly testing the poor man's patience, purposely only half of the time. "You swore to stay in the carriage."

Gerold hooked her arm leading her back through the crowd, past vendors with delicious treats. Nova looked around longingly, wanting nothing more than to roam the streets and enjoy the day if only for a bit longer. She'd barely even gotten to look at the wares. That day had been the most time she'd _ever _spent outside the manor walls and most of it had been spent in a carriage.

"Can we not browse for just a bit?" Nova pled with the captain of the guards.

Gerold was a kind man but he took his job seriously.

"All the flyers for next week have been pitched and you've wandered quite enough already. Gods help me if Ares found out."

He hastily ushered his chargee back to the carriage where the rest of the guards awaited, and so ended her grand adventure. How oft she longed to wander the earth as Ares did.


	2. Chapter 2

In droves they turned out that sunny morn. They came in different ways, chariots, horseback, on foot and in all forms of dress, battle armor, or everyday chitans, some so odd she didn't know what to call them. But despite all the differences they all came for the same reason: her. Nova gaped in amazement from her chair in the dining hall, touched and frankly taken aback by the turnout. She had been too young to recall the first appointment ceremony and though her guardian had been proof there was one, she still couldn't believe this was all in her honor. Although she wasn't a goddess by any means, the people called and treated Nova like one, even her adopted family regarded her more like a deity and less like a woman. Though she knew they loved her like their own, the treatment felt impersonal and cold and above all left her feeling lonely. Nova hadn't been allowed to play with the "commoners", which meant no friends and she had no siblings. Alcides had been her only companion but he had taken ill and succumbed to the fever not a fortnight before. He rested eternally behind Ares' temple now, a place of honor befitting her heroic guardian. She hadn't wanted to replace him but her Father and Gerold had insisted, they feared Ares' wrath. Ares' instructions had been simple, that she was to be protected above all. As long as Nova remained unmolested the occupants of his kingdom would be under his protection. Were she to be harmed in any way, all would feel the god's fearsome vengeance. Why - pity or perhaps an unseen inner strength that reminded him of himself, she had given up trying to figure it out.

Nova sucked in a breath through clenched teeth as yet another pin skewered her scalp.

"Ow...Mother." she hissed when it happened again in short order, ripped out of her melancholic reverie. "Face it, there's just too much hair to fit atop my head."

"Nonsense darling, sit still." her mother hummed back, determined to fashion Nova like the goddess she was. "There!" she declared over her daughter's next protest. "You look divine!"

Proud of her work, she patted the mass of ebony curls to make sure they'd hold and squeezed Nova's shoulder affectionately. Tula stood back to look her over, fixing Nova's rust-red ankle length tunic just so, the color a tribute to Ares of course. First a new guardian and soon a battle of the suitors, a king or perhaps even a demi-god, she could just see it now.

"I'm going out to the courtyard." Nova announced, the dull roar of the crowd perking her spirits back up.

Tula simply sighed as Nova pressed a kiss upon her cheek, knowing any protests would be dutifully ignored. She hadn't wanted her daughter out in the fray, with so many bodies fights were bound to break out and gods only knew how many ruffians were about. Nova however had instantly dismissed her worries, putting her faith in the household guards and their captain Gerold.

Nova transcended the marble steps leading to the courtyard far faster than was prudent in her haste to escape any further lectures but made it safely. Her mother had argued valiantly but how was Nova supposed to choose her guardian from behind closed doors? The _only _decision that had been left to her was the final pick out of the two best warriors. That had been no small miracle, achieved only by begging, bargaining and finally a promise to not obey a word her guardian spoke if she didn't like him. Incidentally, that was why her father had left all the planning to the others and was drunk on wine as she flew by his table.

The courtyard was abuzz with nervous excitement as Nova made her way across it. Beyond it, in the sprawling field some of the men practiced at swordplay, others warmed up on the archery range, still more were milling about, chattering and boasting amongst themselves. Despite their preoccupation, the men quickly noticed her presence and carved a path for Nova, many taking a knee. She pulled in a sharp breath, suddenly feeling self conscious beneath the weight of their stares. Was she too much in her expensive tunic, looking like a fraud, or perhaps too little to be worth all the fuss and attention? Regardless, Nova was grateful. She forced herself to smile and touched their outstretched hands and thanked them for coming with the grace of a true goddess and the humility only a mortal could possess.

Gerold was midfield, surrounded by a sea of bodies, looking like a veritable god in his splendid war attire. He was getting on in age but still a strong, formidable man that demanded respect and obedience without so much as a word. As she neared he sounded the shrill, ear piercing whistle and the roar of the crowd swiftly died down. She could tell by the look in his sharp eyes that the captain was highly displeased, Ares was his god, his idol and he both revered and feared the god. He also enjoyed his head exactly where it was atop his neck. At first Gerold had felt no more than duty bound to Nova and her family but it hadn't taken long for the little girl to worm her way into his heart. Now he cared about and for Nova like the daughter he'd never had. If anything happened to her he would be crushed long before Ares got to him.

"Men!" he bellowed in his deep, commanding voice. "The goddess Nova!" he swept his arm towards the blushing young woman and the crowd hurrahed. "It is for the honor of protecting the goddess that brings you here today and she has seen fit to grace you with her presence…"

That was the point in which Nova started to tune out, distracted by the faces and whispers of the crowd. The tournament wouldn't be too much longer and she was exhilarated and nervous all at once. There were so many competitors, some she recognized, more from other kingdoms near and afar, some rich, some poor. All of them must have been brave though. The faux-goddess couldn't help but wonder how many were actually there for her and how many for the glory it would bring them, but in the grand scheme of things it mattered little.

Gerold must have finished his speech for there was another round of hurrahs and he suddenly seized her arm, gently but firmly guiding her back towards the manor. The first round, boxing, was much too violent and bloody for a young lady to witness, he claimed. Nova was hastily returned to her relieved mother and ushered to the library, an interior room with no windows to the outside.

* * *

To her dismay, Nova wasn't allowed to see the second round of combat either, as wrestling was also deemed too violent, but was finally set free for the third and final round of spear tossing. They used spears instead of the normal javelins in honor of Ares. It was while wandering the fields as they waited for the game to begin that she saw him, the archer from the alleyway the week before. Her first reaction was one of ire, two weeks of stewing over his lewd actions, but also surprise and vexation. Why was he there after his display of obvious disdain? She would have called him a glory hound but he hadn't seemed the least bit concerned with praise after his bullseye. Why then was he lined up to put his life on the line as a guardian? Nova was going to find out before the day was through.

Problematically for the archer however, there was a guard attached to each of his arms and they were escorting him, none too gently, from the field. Who had he offended this time? Morbidly curious, Nova made a beeline for the trio. The guards halted and bowed their heads politely, despite their impatience to be rid of their charge.

"What is this about?" Nova inquired, motioning to their captive.

"This man is a convict my lady." Alexander replied, face creased with disgust. How dare he show his face at the goddess's ceremony? "Being as such he is unfit."

They moved to haul him off, the convicts face dark with anger, but Nova stayed them with a hand.

"Is this true?" she demanded of the ruffian.

She wasn't sure why she even cared, part of her would have been joyous to see him tossed out on his loathsome arse. But something inside Nova told her that he should stay, nothing tangible, no reasons, just a gut feeling so strong that she had to obey it. His dark, soulful eyes met hers and he nodded.

"Aye, it's true."

"What was your crime?"

The guards looked to one another impatiently but said nothing, unwilling to incur Gerolds wrath for disobeying the goddess. They weren't ever wanting to displease her but felt that they definitely knew better, she was young and naive.

He looked at the goddess curiously, wondering what game she was playing at. He truly hoped she was not just another spoiled noble, pretending to care but really just waiting for an opportunity to belittle him.

"I killed a deer on the king's land."

She pulled a face, thinking it extremely harsh to commit a man to jail over a deer but King Camdus was both short tempered and...odd.

"For sport or for food?"

"For food."

Nothing more, no pleas for mercy or justifications and she had to admire his fortitude.

"And tell me true, why are you here today?"

Another curious stare, eyes studying Nova like a puzzle box.

"I've a mother and a sister to support, father plays a bit too much kottoabis." he growled, flinching slightly to hold back a sneer at the thought of his father. It wasn't what the goddess wanted to hear, he was sure, but it would have to do.

To his great surprise though, she seemed satisfied with the curt answer.

"Your name?"

"Ether."

Nova nodded and smiled placatingly at the guards.

"Please return Ether to the field and see that he is removed for nothing less than a fair loss."

Ether ripped his arms free of the guards, sneering contemptuously at them, but didn't move off. He got by in life on his own merits or nothing.

"Begging your pardon goddess but I do _not _want your pity."

Their eyes locked and Nova nodded appreciatively. A true Grecian never wanted pity and she knew the feeling well. In her case however pity had been a necessary evil to live.

"You misunderstand me Ether. Pity is for the weak. I should know." she told him firmly, brow quirked and strode away.

She didn't bother to look back to see if the convict returned to the field, confident that he would.

* * *

~~~_Kottoabis - ancient greek drinking game~~~_


End file.
